1. Field of the Disclosure
The present invention is directed to the field of paper document management, and more particularly to file fasteners having bendable prongs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Paper fasteners have been used for decades to bind paper documents into file folders. They are typically formed from a base plate with two orthogonal prongs extending from the ends of the base plate and which are themselves bendable.
In the most prevalent configuration, the fastener also includes a compressor plate which is used at the end of the prongs to provide a secure lock on the prongs.
These prior art devices have at least two serious deficiencies. First, they have sharp metal edges which shear the papers they are intended to bind and second, these same sharp edges can cause injuries.
A solution to these problems would be to dull or roll (coin) the edges. This does not seem to work at least with respect to the first problem. The mere nature of metal edges, dull or not, causes papers to become detached by ripping or shearing. Use of plastic prongs has likewise not worked well. The plastic is either too elastic or too rigid which causes cracks and failures.
The present invention provides multiple solutions to this dilemma.